Presidential Award of Excellence, 2017
Extension - Resource & Land Conservation
Extension Specialist
If you look at the biggest challenges facing New Hampshire’s forests and wetlands, it can seem overwhelming. In fact, you may wonder if it’s even possible for a community, let alone a single individual, to do anything about things like climate change and pollution.
Thankfully, Amanda Stone is on our side. For more than 20 years, she has dedicated herself to helping New Hampshire citizens protect and manage their most cherished natural resources.
After working for Cooperative Extension as a consultant in the 1990s, Amanda joined the staff in 2000 as the coordinator of the Natural Resources Outreach Coalition. Today, this innovative partnership is helping more than two dozen Seacoast communities to identify and conserve natural resources in ways that also accommodate economic development. That’s a huge win for this region.
In 2010, Amanda was named New Hampshire’s extension specialist in Land and Water Conservation. Since then, she has led our Community Natural Resources Area of Expertise Team. And she has coordinated numerous efforts to offer UNH research expertise to important discussions about climate and wildlife issues.
In recent years, she undertook an ambitious project to update an online map of the state’s land and water resources. Today, this detailed, interactive map makes it easy for anyone to identify the unique habitats and land types anywhere in our state.
Amanda also excels as a financial manager. With public and private grants, she supports the majority of her own salary and programs, as well the work of other Extension staff members.
In addition to strengthening UNH’s reputation and brand across our state, she is also an engaging STEM educator. Our UNH students in natural resources seek her out as a mentor. And she has even found the time to help teachers at the Oyster River Middle School to design innovative programs about climate change.
Thank you, Amanda for your dedication to upholding New Hampshire’s quality of life.
About this Award
All members of the university community, including leadership, supervisors & managers, peers, colleagues and students may nominate any qualified staff member by completing the Presidential Award of Excellence nomination form online or by requesting a paper application from Human Resources and forwarding it to the Presidential Award of Excellence Peer Review Committee, c/o Human Resources, Nesmith Hall each year by the deadline.
